SO DID THE DAVIDS WIN OVER GOLIATH? Community folks stopped Benguet Corporation from resuming its mining operation in Barangay Virac, Itogon (photo above, courtesy of Nordis Blog). Former miner and resident Mariano Lango: “The only ore body left here are the mine pillars. We know this because we worked the mines for the company before the 1990 earthquake forced it to close and allow us to live and make a living on the surface. Mining the pillars, this close to the surface will make the ground collapse. We cannot allow that to happen.” We hope that the victory is not just a temporary one.[Nordis Blog]
SHRIMP ANYONE? Yes you can raise shrimps in the mountains. Ifugao is apparently leading the way. But then again, Lamut is in the lowland part of Ifugao so maybe raising shrimps in the Cordillera mountains has not yet been tried. [PIA]
ELECTION FEVER. Who’s your gubernatorial bet? Our friends who come from Kalinga might want to join the online poll and discussion here. Incumbent Governor Dominador Belac is currently leading the poll. [Kalinga Tambayan]
ELECTION FEVER TOO. All of a sudden she-who-must-not-be-named is allotting money for Cordillera autonomy? Well, she’ll do just about anything to smell good in our noses and to look good in our eyes, eh? [Sunstar]
A NEW BAND RISES. And they have a very interesting name, Pe’Tune (pronounced like pechen or peace pact among iFontoks). Will they rise up to Pagano’s challenge of producing indigenous-based music that captures a mainstream audience? We hope they do! [Freda Changat]
“MATAGOAN” CITY. The bicameral committee of Congress endorsed the bill which seeks to convert Tabuk, Kalinga’s capital town, into a city. Now it’s up to the President to sign the bill and to the Tabuk voters to vote for cityhood in a plebiscite. If things push through as wished by those advocating for cityhood, Tabuk is going to be called a “Zone of Life” or “Matagoan” City. Are you listening, Pedro Ramos? You can’t brandish your guns in Tabuk no more! [Sunstar]
DUH, ITS NOT LIKE WE ARE IN QUEBEC. Wala bang ibang problema sa Baguio at signboards na lang ang inaatupag ng mga kagalang-galang na miyembro ng konseho? What next, a language police? If businesses don’t like to put up their signs in English then its their loss. Now if you are going to require them to put up their signs in Ibaloi, in honor of Baguio’s roots, then we will gladly jump on board. [baguiocity.gov.ph]
RELATED POST: The Week That Was. PHOTO CREDIT: Nordis Blog.
that signboard resolution is so fascist. we are turning into a nanny state….
Yup. It is beyond ridiculous. I can’t say for sure but it may be directed against Korean-owned businesses whose signboards are written in Korean characters. But if a Korean businessman wants to target his compatriots, why should it bother the City Council?
Billboards
That local bill won’t fly. Anything that restricts commerce is against human rights. Even if there are lawyers in the city council, they just ride along so it would seem they are doing something.
Katagoan
That should be the name of the city (Tabuk), whether it will become an official name or a /be.day/. Katagoan is a place where one can live/find a living.
Matagoan is, well — it’s off.
Drat, I can’t explain the nuance, but there IS a big difference.
Those darn lawyers he he. But seriously, I don’t really know how they can implement that ordinance.
On Matagoan-Katagoan, there is a difference nga ano. Pero baka mas appropriate ang Matagoan in the Kalinga languages. I really don’t know but I understand what you mean about the nuance.
Napaparanoid sila… pero I think they have a point..mejo nakakaparanoid. Malay mo kung anu-ano na pala nakalagay dun na against sa batas/culture. Common sense naman sana sa mga Koreano rin dito, they are foreigners here, sana consideration sa MAJORITY. While there are Chinese signs in Baguio, may translations naman sila kahit papaano. At saka, Filipino citizens karamihan ng Chinese businessmen dito… unless illegal peddler ka. LOL
Yes, diversity; pero hindi naman siguro seclusion dapat(Recent Korean immigrants seem to be like this).. They can practice their culture, fine pero wag naman to the point na ganun…in full Korean…I think translations are necessarily needed. Paano kapag may gusto kang bilhin sa Korean store na yun or you want to avail of their service, how would you communicate….
..in addition to that, the Koreans don’t really have a good “image” here. Marami na akong nakasalamuha na nagrereklamo sa mga attitudes ng mga Koreano. But I’ve met nice Koreans, mostly nga lang dumating sila dito BEFORE the “Korean Wave”(migration or semi migration..hehe)
Well, POV from a commerce student. =)
The importance of a lingua franca comes in =)
Hi Betelnut,
Welcome back! And thanks for adding the perspective of one who actually lives in Baguio. Although sa akin lang, if the purpose of the ordinance is to prevent signboards from saying things against Filipinos, how sure are we that they will correctly translate them to English. I agree with your point though about Koreans having the tendency to keep to themselves and that this tendency could have a negative effect in communities where they live.
The importance of cross-checking by the government. They can find ways to verify if the translations are correct
Consideration lang talaga sa mga Koreano.